


If You're Joey Drew and he's Joey Drew, Who's Watching all These Children?

by Control_Room



Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: Alternate Universe - Children, Babies, Children, Fluff, Gen, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, mention of domestic abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-10
Updated: 2019-02-10
Packaged: 2019-10-25 18:49:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17730659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Control_Room/pseuds/Control_Room
Summary: Johan’s hands get quite full when he decides to babysit for a bunch of artists in the making.





	If You're Joey Drew and he's Joey Drew, Who's Watching all These Children?

**Author's Note:**

> [TAG TIME! Magenta is [@halfusek](https://tmblr.co/mAf3vdzc4wXYCzWCxKkU7dA)‘s, Magician is [@lady-lampblack](https://tmblr.co/mQRjvvwi-6VdzJ6PCL490gA)‘s, Gingie is [@pipesflowforeverandever](https://tmblr.co/m2zmumMEKoKDrJDlESd5txQ)‘s, Snowy is [@aceofintuition](https://tmblr.co/mDWgNFUdJwq2ycefKQTVhZQ)‘s, Egg is [@greenghostlyjekyll](https://tmblr.co/mo7RBvtdyPbseNlaN2p90Fw)‘s, Joy is [@jovialdrew](https://tmblr.co/m8w8Eq1H5gw_Ee2qilMpvgQ)‘s, and Hyde is [@startistdoodles](https://tmblr.co/mJuUIVFyH87l9lVizPl0y8g)‘s. Johan is mine :>]

“I don’t wanna study the civil war anymore,” Joey whined, pushing away the heavy textbook. “It’s boring, and it happened so long ago!”

 

“It might be boring,” Johan reprimanded, “But it’s also your grade, Maggie. Now, let’s try again, what happened when the south lost Savannah?”

 

“Um… Sherman’s March?” Magenta suggested. He relaxed as a smile bloomed over Johan’s face. “That was from Atlanta to Savannah, and it made the south lose supplies and morale.”

 

“Good job,” Johan grinned, ruddy eyes glinting at him. Magenta grinned back. “I think it’s been enough studying, eh? An hour and a half, seems good enough.”

 

“It’s only been an hour and ten minutes, though,” he commented, tilting his head in confusion. Johan got up with another grin, packing up all their supplies and materials, holding his hand out to Magenta. The young boy shook out his sweater to take it, following after his tutor’s long strides. “Where are we goin’?”

 

“Thought you might want some ice cream for getting that B plus, hm?” Johan prompted with a wink. Magenta beamed at him and picked up his speed with a skip in his step. “Any questions? About anything.”

 

“Why do we always learn about the winners?” Magenta’s grip tightened on his for a moment. “In history. What about the people that were doing things that they thought were right?”

 

“Well, usually we learn about what the old white men up top want us to learn,” Johan rolled his eyes. “And sometimes it’s not the full story. Usually it has half of the right story, and the rest are embellishments. We don’t learn about the bad Columbus did because we don’t want to believe or acknowledge our society is formed on genocide and theft.”

 

“Weird,” Magenta muttered. Johan smiled at him. “But you’re not that old, and you’re not white either. Or on top of anything, being honest, Jo. What do you want us to learn?”

 

“The truth, I suppose,” Johan hummed after a moment of thinking. “It’s always good to know what’s true and false without painting either side in a good or bad light.”

 

“Ah, ok.” Magenta nodded. They neared an ice cream truck, Johan pulling out some cash while Magenta decided what he wanted. Eventually they settled on a park bench, Magenta happily devouring the chocolate cone he picked out. Suddenly he perked up from his snack, chocolate smeared all over his cheeks, and vigorously waved another child over. “Magician! Over here!”

 

“Magician?” Johan rose an eyebrow as the lab coat wearing kid began heading toward them. “May I ask why you call him that?”

 

“He does magic!” Magenta explained with wide eyes. “Also he’s also Joey. So he’s Magician.”

 

“Mhm,” Johan replied, bemused. The other lad approached, looking over him suspiciously. Johan smiled at him. “Hello. I’m Johan. And, I’ve heard, you are Magician? That seems quite mysterious and incredible.”

 

The young boy instantly warmed up to him due to the flattery, grinning broadly.

 

“Of course! My experiments are mysterious and incredible!” he boasted gleefully. Johan chuckled softly to himself. So self centered and confident. “That’s why I’m Magician!”

 

“Indeed,” Johan agreed. Magician and Magenta picked up a lively conversation about how learning history was unnecessary and should be removed. Magician stated something that may or may not have offended the slightly older boy, Magenta staring at him in a struck silence for a few moments before blinking. Johan’s watch beeped. “Aw, sh… come on, Mag, time for you to go home.”

 

“Aw man…” the little boy pouted. “I don’t want to go home….”

 

“I know, buddy, but you have to,” Johan looked at him with some sadness, kneeling down to him and pulling a wipe out of his pocket to clean his face from chocolate. “Don’t worry about it, I’m picking you up after school tomorrow, got it?”

 

“Yeah!” Magenta exclaimed, then blushed, trying to hide his enthusiasm over such a small thing. He turned to his small companion. “Wanna meet us here?”

 

“Sure,” Magician grinned. “I’ll be prompt.”

 

Magenta made sure they took their time in getting home. Johan allowed him to.

 

“See you tomorrow?” he asked with hope in his eyes. Johan nodded, ruffling his hair. “Okay. Promise?”

 

“I promise,” Johan affirmed, and walked up with him to the house. “Hello, Mr. Drew.”

 

He received his payment without a word being spoken in his direction, and his heart ached when he watched Magenta get steered into the house, the door slammed in his face.

 

“Son of a bitch,” he muttered disdainfully on Magenta’s father, counting the money, trying to make sure he was not being underpaid again. He hated watching Magenta go home. Still, it marked the time that he had to pick up “the free spirit”, as he nicknamed the Joey nicknamed Gingie. The baby, or young toddler, was not much of a troublemaker, but tended to run wild, finding every opportunity outside of Johan’s sight as another sign to go on another adventure of sorts. Typically that included dashing off.

 

Unless Snowy, yet another Joey, was around. Snowy and Gingie were like peas in a pod from two different planets. Snowy had the habit of habit, sticking to the way things were and disliking too much of any change. Gingie, bless his rambunctious and bubbly soul, brought out his curious side, and he eased Gingie’s… radical… expressionism. He knocked. “Hello, ma’am.”

 

“Oh, please, Mrs. Drew is fine, Johan,” she smiled, he returning it sheepishly. “Thank you again, dear.”

 

“No problem, ma’a- Mrs. Drew, ma’am,” Johan knelt as the red headed boy peaked around his mother’s leg. He extended his hand for him to take. “Ma’am, we’ll be back the same time as always. We’ll see you soon, ma’am!”

 

She waved them off, before vanishing back into her home. Johan was almost certain she did not need his help, her being more ethereal and mysterious than a faery or an angel or a hooded figure from his hometown. He hardly knew what she did, and he hardly minded. She was wonderful all the same.

 

He was ninety nine percent certain she only employed him because she somehow knew he needed it to survive.

 

She was wonderful.

 

Just as her son who was eagerly dragging him off to wherever he desired. Unlike his previous watchers, Johan allowed him free reign. That path happened to be leading them directly to the park again. Magician was still there, and he squinted at Johan before reapproaching with another two youngsters trailing behind him.

 

“Weren’t you just here?” he inquired, raising an eyebrow. “And with Magenta?”

 

“Yes, but now I’m here with Gingie,” Johan explained with a smile, sticking a hand out to gently grab the wild child’s shoulder as he attempted to dash off again. Gingie frowned, but it was just for half a fraction of a second. He then looked at the two younger children with curiosity. “May I ask who are you two wonderful beings?”

 

“Egg.” one replied obstinately, lofting Johan’s lithe hand and examining it before taking it in his own. “Or Stripes. He’s frog.”

 

“No! I’m Joy!” the other protested, lightly shoving the other. He pointed at Gingie. “I saw you before! Hello again!”

 

Gingie grinned and stepped to them and started up a conversation.

 

Good.

 

It meant he would not suddenly run off.

 

Johan relaxed as he watched over the children, letting out breath he was not aware of holding. He was so pent up, but at least he had something to distract himself with. He loved kids. In addition, children tended to like him or at least be comfortable around him. Most of them had very robust and pushy (almost) personalities, a soft contrast to his nervous calm.

 

Egg seemed wary but sweet. He constantly would pause just to contemplate, saying his little observations one at a time. He wore a striped shirt, and Joy wore suspenders. Joy was very much like his namesake, however, he also seemed to be able to get quite sad from small things. Johan cheered him up every few minutes.

 

Gingie was a center of attention, but the other children were showstoppers of their own sort.

 

Despite only knowing them for less than an hour, Johan knew that he would do anything for them, for each of them.

 

“Where are your parents?” he asked each of them. He received shrugs from some and points from others.

 

“Ron’s over there,” Joy explained.

 

Egg pouted.

 

Magician frowned.

 

“Don’t like being at home much, huh?” Johan inquired, more to the air, not expecting an answer. He did not get one. He snapped his fingers. “What do you all think of a… hm… club?”

 

“What kind of club?” Egg, now intrigued, tilted his head and asked. “Like a dance club?”

 

Johan had to stop and look at the boy again to affirm that yes, this was a child.

 

“No, I meant like… a hangout club. One where you all can get together and just have a good time, and I guess you can dance if you’d like,” Johan reinstated. Magician made a thinking expression Johan nearly exploded in laughter at. Joy looked interested, and Gingie was smiling with excitement. “What do you guys think?”

 

“Yes.” Egg answered.

 

“Sounds like a good idea,” Magician hummed, still ponderous. Gingie nodded. “To me at least.”

 

“Joy!”

 

The little boy perked up when Ron called him. Johan followed after (with Gingie), wanting to talk to him.

 

He exchanged a few words with the young man. It turned out he was Joy’s older brother.

 

He joined them on a brisk walk home to talk to their mother, who apparently took care of the two boys.

 

She seemed a sallow and sad woman, but with a bright inner strength. A full schedule was marked behind her, with appointments and med reminders. Johan quietly requested to speak with her, and proposed his idea.

 

She seemed reluctant at first, but then he pulled down the calender and pointed out a few dates and times. Relief seemed to fill her. She thanked him.

 

He and Gingie returned to the park. Magician’s parents were there already, there to pick him up, so Johan quickly spoke with them as well. Egg’s were just as simple.

 

Johan smiled to Gingie, the lad grinning back.

 

A week later, they were all at the park under Johan’s watch.

 

By the end of the week, Johan almost had enough money to purchase a small studio. He frowned as he counted over the money. Two hundred short.

 

He looked over at Gingie, who was playing kitchen with Egg and Magenta.

 

Well, he hated asking for money… so he waited another week.

 

By then, he also had enough to not only purchase the place, but also childproof the place, which he did over the weekend, selling his apartment and moving into the back room of the studio turned daycare. He stood up from the carpeting he finished installing, wiping his forehead, smiling at the almost finished handiwork. He would paint the walls with the kids, as well as put together the furniture he bought.

 

That would be fun.

 

When his parents heard that he had a building, Snowy joined them, much to Gingie’s delight.

 

The first day they were there, Johan smiled and said he had a surprise for them.

 

They loved the studio.

 

Though Egg complained that the white walls were droll.

 

Johan grinned as he set up the paints and told them to go wild. The walls were their canvas, and they could paint whatever they wanted.

 

They did.

 

Robots and candy and wolves and shapes and smiles and scenes bloomed on the walls. It filled Johan’s rainbow heart.

 

The name Joey Drew was written too.

 

All of the boys were named that, so Johan painted their dominant hands and they all made a handprint on a blink segment on the wall. Then he wrote Joey Drew(s) Studio in big letters and wrote their nicknames under their handprints.

 

“Nice,” Magician beamed, his fisted hands on his hips, his hands dripping with red orange paint. “This is a great creation! Our great creation!”

 

“Yes! Absolutely!” Gingie exclaimed, gold and orange paint splattered somehow everywhere on him, incredibly even on his back. “We’re the kings of the world!”

 

Egg continued painting after, the others watching him, enraptured. He was a wonderful painter, the walls being covered with pastel patterns and designs.

 

Most of the boys were quite artistic.

 

Johan noted to buy canvases and more paint, questioning if he should buy other materials in addition to all that.

 

A bang brought him out of his thoughts. Gingie and Snowy looked at him from the door that they had forced open with large innocuous eyes. Johan swiftly got up, but Gingie was already gone. Johan quickly scooped up Snowy, rushing out the door to wrap an arm around Gingie.

 

“Don’t do that Gin!” he huffed, carrying him back to the building. “We can go out to the park soon, but don’t just run off like that!”

 

“Park now.” Gingie demanded.

 

“We’ll see,” Johan yawned, looking over to the clock. “Maybe tomorrow, it’s getting late, Gin.”

 

A small playground would make a good investment, too.

 

The next week was filled with fixing up the old place while the kids were not there, and when they were building and putting together furniture and the such.

 

Hyde joined them. It was a rushed thing, the young child entering their ranks as a Joey Drew.

 

“Hello, Johan,” Snowy’s mother, beside Gingie’s, greeted, looking flustered, distracted, and bewildered as they dropped off the two best friends. “I hope your hands aren’t too full, since, well… this is Joey ‘Hyde’ Drew. His mother and father needed to go out of town and he’s been staying between myself and Mrs. Drew.”

 

She gently pushed forward the little boy. He seemed perpetually grumpy, clutching at her skirt in a tired grip.

 

Johan knelt and held out a hand to him. He blinked at him and then consulted the two women by looking up at them. Gingie’s mother nodded to him. Hyde grabbed his hand.

 

“Hello,” Johan softly smiled at him to meet him. “My name is Johan. Can I call you Hyde?”

 

“Fine.” was the curt reply. “Johan.”

 

“We’ll be good,” Johan mouthed to the mothers. Then he hesitated and bit his lip. “But… about payment? I don’t want to seem selfish….”

 

“No, don’t worry dear,” Mrs. Drew, Gingie’s mother, waved off his concerns. “This was discussed with his parents.”

 

“Good,” Johan smiled. Hyde tugged on his hand. “Well, I’m sure he’ll be just fine.”

 

Hyde was the sleepiest thing to grace earth.

 

Johan did not even know something could just fall asleep so often and so sweet.

 

Hyde tugged his hand at one point and pointed at the wall with their hand prints.

 

“You want one?” Johan asked, passing Joy to Magenta. Magenta grinned at the little boy in his lap, bouncing him happily. Hyde nodded. A rouge brown joined the prints, Johan carefully writing Hyde’s name beneath it. “Is that good?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Hyde joined the other boys in much happier spirits.

 

Magenta and Hyde, incredibly, got along wonderfully. Hyde liked leaning on the oldest boy’s arm, and he liked especially to watch him draw. Magenta was talkative around Hyde, bubbling over as he shared things with the lad.

 

Snowy on the other hand, almost had a personal vendetta against Magenta. At least it seemed like it, with the amount of times Magenta got injured around the little swoopy haired boy. Snowy just seemed to be an omen for Magenta to avoid, but he continuously shoved his hand back into the foxhole.

 

Joy constantly found himself in precarious situations, and Johan had learned from trial and error how to preoccupy the boy to prevent him from ending up on the roof or something of the sort. Blueberries, though messy, where a good precaution.

 

Egg continued to paint on things. You could find the child by following wet the paint splats that would trail behind him.

 

Pastels were his favorite color scheme to use, and it was so soothing to Johan’s sore eyes.

 

Magician loved storytelling, and he was (excuse my french) damn good at it. He knew how to enthral an audience, he knew how to pull them in and he was funny and clever.

 

The boys all had a brilliance to each of them, shining brightly within them and only glowing brighter around the others. They tended to bring out the best in each other, even if they thought otherwise.

 

Except on the days they brought out the worst.

 

It was havok.

 

Johan did not really figure out what triggered the mayhem, but it broke out anyways.

 

Hyde had just woken from a nap, and so Johan had handed Snowy over to Magenta to go and pick up the whimpering bab. Egg latched onto his arm when he knelt to hold him, gripping him tight, a koala in the rain. He whipped around when-

 

 

“NAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!” Magenta hollered with a bright grin on his face, holding Snowy above his head, giving Johan a miniature heart attack. A creak snagged Johan’s attention and he watched as Gingie ran out, Johan nearly tripping on Joy who somehow managed to find the one place Johan would have stepped. Magician shrieked as something he set on fire combusted. Egg refused to release Johan’s arm, and Hyde squinted with displeasure (and sleepiness) at the noisiness, gripping Johan’s shirt. “Ow!”

 

Johan nearly died a second time when he watched Snowy fall, and he leapt to snatch him out of the air, twisting to land on his back for the child to land on his chest, knocking the wind out of him.

 

“Why did you drop him?” he wheezed with alarm to Magenta. The boy was holding his nose, red seeping through his fingers. Johan set down the three children latched on him, shimmying his arm out of Egg’s grip, rolling over the fire Magician set to put it out, then rushed over to Magenta and carefully pulled away his hands from his face, sighing with relief. “Oh, it’s just a nosebleed. What happened?”

 

“He kicked me,” Magenta explained as Johan washed his face, handing him tissues. “Maybe I shouldn’t’ve held him so high up.”

 

“Maybe,” Johan huffed, looking out the open door. Gingie was in the doorway, staring with wide eyes at Snowy. Johan smiled at him. “Come on back in, Gin. Come on.”

 

He entered back in, going over to his best friend who was sitting on the floor where Johan left him.

 

“You okay?” he asked him, wrapping his little arms around his shoulders. “Too scary?”

 

“Too high!” Snowy explained, hugging him back.

 

Hyde came over to Johan and tugged on his ripped jeans.

 

“Sleep now.”

 

“Again, Hyde, is it not too soon?” Johan asked gently, smiling and raising an eyebrow. The boy shook his head and tugged on Johan’s hand, pulling him to the cushions he bought for napping, making him sit first, clamoring onto his chest. “Well… I suppose.”

 

More gentle pressures formed around him. He looked to one side, Snowy, Gingie and Magician there, and on the other, Magenta, Joy, and Egg.

 

Johan felt himself drifting off as each of the children surrounding him dropped off into la la land.

 

His limbs, pinned to himself by the young ones, felt so heavy, and so did his head….

 

Giggling woke him.

 

“Shh, shh, he’s waking up!” Magenta whispered, his voice bouncy and excited. “Mornin’ Jo!”

 

“‘Ello, Maggie,” he slurred. Hyde, still on his chest, was beaming at him. “What’s with all the smil-”

 

He had reached up to rub his eyes, and collectively, all the boys quickly leaned over to stop him, taking his hand and pulling it back. Gingie laughed in delight and rose a mirror.

 

Johan stared at himself.

 

A beard and a moustache were painted on his face, along with glasses (in addition to his real ones) and patterns and crescents. Pastel marked Egg’s territory on his face, and he noticed it on his neck and arms. His long hair had been plaited by them as well.

 

“Well?” Magenta asked, grinning. “What do you think?”

 

“I think it’s great,” Johan chuckled, running a hand carefully over the paint, making sure not to smudge or smear it. “Who’s idea was the moustache?”

 

“Mine!” Magenta eagerly answered. “Hyde thought of the beard!”

 

“I picked the glasses!” Magician beamed, “Snowy did half of them and I did the other!”

 

“Very good job, boys,” Johan grinned. “I look great.”

 

It eventually was time for the boys to go home.

 

Gingie’s mother was picking up almost all the boys, having invited the families for dinner.

 

She stared at him for a good minute when he opened the door.

 

“You’re looking,” she held in laughter, “Good?”

 

“Why thank you, ma’am!” he bowed slightly. “I got a makeover.”

 

She bid him farewell with a trail of children.

 

That left Magenta.

 

The boy was sitting by the table, swinging his legs.

 

“Hey,” Johan nodded to him with a wink, sitting beside him and pouring for him some chocolate milk. Magenta smiled at him, but it was tinged with sadness. Johan steepled his fingers and studied him. “You doin’ alright, kid?”

 

“Yeah! I’m really happy that all the other Joeys are here and we all just hang out!” Magenta commented. He continuously glanced at the clock with some nervousness. His shoulders slumped, and he pulled his arms into his oversized sweater. “Jo?”

 

“Yeah, Mag?” he answered, heart aching from the sad look that filled the young boy’s face. “What’s up?”

 

“I don’t wanna go home,” he whispered. Johan felt his breath stop. “Can I stay here?”

 

“Oh, Mag… I can’t, I’d get in so much trouble and then you won’t be able to come here at all,” Johan told him gently, putting a hand on his shoulder. “But…” he looked to the clock, “We still have an hour and a half.”

 

“Can we learn history?” Magenta inquired, looking at him hopefully. “Then ice cream?”

 

“Yeah,” Johan smiled at him. “For both. That way we’ll be doing what the old white man up top wants and what we do.”

 

Magenta grinned as he took out the textbook.


End file.
